The permanent program for efficient use of energy at university of São Paulo – PURE-USP

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of energy management and sustainability in the government sector using a study case conducted by the Permanent Program for Efficient Use of Energy at University of São Paulo (PURE-USP), a pioneer initiative of its kind active since 1997.

The paper describes the actions and results of PURE-USP.

The energy savings promoted by PURE's actions are estimated in about 25 percent after 15 years since the program was implemented. This means a saving of approximately 37 MWh or R$9 million (2.91 million) for an investment of R$1.73 million (560,000).

The results show that the program is viable and could be replicated in other Brazilian institutions or even in other countries.

PURE-USP provides in addition to electricity savings (which implies in avoiding environmental impacts) resource savings which in the case of a public institution like the University of São Paulo implies in a more efficient management of public funds.